Indoor facilities for discharging firearms (often called, for example, shooting, gun, or firing ranges) have been around for years. They allow shooters to practice and train with their firearms in the safety and convenience of an indoor facility, without having to be concerned about inclement weather or the risk that a stray bullet will leave the range or inadvertently harm or injure another. Shooters can aim at various kinds of targets in order to practice and improve their efficiency and skills in various situations.
A typical shooting range is rectangular in shape, with a series of parallel shooting lanes that extend from the front end of the range (where the shooter is located) to the targets (which can be placed at varying distances from the shooter) to the back end of the range (which has some form of backstop or trap to capture or contain the fired projectiles). For instance, pistol ranges can be as short as 15 feet, while rifle ranges can be as long as 300 feet. Other distances in between, as well as shorter or longer, are also possible. The lanes are frequently at least four feet wide to accommodate the shooter and an instructor, although other widths (narrower or wider) can be used. The height of the range is often dictated by existing building conditions (such as ten-foot-high ceilings), but it can be of varying heights as desired.
With the inherent risks of these projectiles, care should be taken to make sure that the range is safe for both the shooter and others who may be nearby. The walls and ceilings are often made of ballistically-resistant materials, such as reinforced concrete, masonry block, steel plates, or a combination of these materials, although other materials are also possible. The down-range end of the range contains a backstop that contains or stops the projectile in a safe manner and is designed to withstand the full force of the fired projectile. The backstop is often made from ballistically-resistant materials, such as curved or angled steel plates, ballistic rubber media, dirt, sand, ballistic curtains, or combinations of these materials.
Given the materials required to construct a shooting range, which should be made of ballistically-resistant materials that can withstand and contain repeated exposure to bullets or other projectiles that are travelling at high velocities and with large momentum, these ranges are expensive to construct. In particular, the down-range end of the range is often the most expensive part of the range to build. In addition to construction costs, there are maintenance and repair costs that depend, at least in part, on the size of the down-range end of the shooting range.
Thus, a design that still allows the shooter the convenience and safety of a standard shooting range at a reduced construction cost is highly desirable for an owner or operator of the range.